I used spaghetti sauce out of a jar or can from the time I was 16 years old until probably four years ago or somewhere thereabouts. I always figured that making homemade spaghetti sauce was too hard or too time consuming, and while it does take longer to make it than it takes to open a jar of the pre-made stuff, to me, it just tastes so much better when you put the love into it to make it from scratch.
I start by warming a little olive oil in a skillet. When it’s warmed, I add a half of a chopped onion and sauté it for a little bit. You can feel free to skip this step if you want to, I just like my onions sauteed. Add a pound of lean ground beef to the pan and cook it until it’s no longer pink. Drain this if you need to and return it to the same skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook just until you can smell the garlic, about 30 seconds to a minute. I use the fresh garlic you find in the grocery store and mince it myself.
Next, add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar (if you’re using it), salt and pepper. Mix well to make sure the tomato paste gets incorporated and isn’t lumpy. Add in the Italian Seasoning and Parsley and stir to combine. Let this simmer on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring as needed.
Whether you put your sauce on top of your noodles and add Parmesan cheese like my husband does:
Or mix it together with your noodles and leave it plain like me…
We think this sauce is easy to make and it tastes better to us than anything we’ve found that comes in a jar.
What about you? Do you think homemade spaghetti sauce is worth the time it takes to make it?
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Garlic
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 spoon
- 1 Can Opener
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp granulated sugar optional
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a skillet, add the chopped onion, and sauté until barely translucent.
- Add the beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain if needed and return to the same skillet.
- Add the minced garlic and cook just until you can smell the garlic, about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Add in tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar (optional), salt and pepper. Mix this well to make sure the tomato paste gets well incorporated.
- Add Italian seasoning and parsley, mix well, and let this simmer at medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.